The Asian Poker Tour has announced a new sponsorship deal with online cryptocurrency poker site CoinPoker that will see players offered the chance to qualify for APT events online.
As part of the deal, which will be in place for the first time at the upcoming APT Korea-Seoul event at Paradise Walkerhill starting this Friday 15 June, players will be able to qualify for the Main Event plus selected High Roller and Super High Roller events via CoinPoker.
Those who qualify through CoinPoker will also receive 100% rake back while the last player standing wearing a CoinPoker patch during the Korea Main Event will win a free seat at the APT Vietnam – Ho Chi Minh Championships Main Event in July.
The sponsorship deal applies to events in Korea, Vietnam and the Philippines but not Macau after the APT was forced in April to shelve plans to incorporate a cryptocurrency element into its APT Macau Championships 2018 due to regulatory concerns.
In a statement sent to Inside Asian Gaming at the time, APT CEO Jeff Mann said that the tour had been considering cryptocurrency as a marketing tool to expand the reach and appeal of the APT globally and attract more players from Europe, but confirmed there would be no association, involvement from or usage of cryptocurrency at its Macau events.
“Clearly, each APT event is different and we are mindful of local operating guidelines,” said Mann. “I can confirm that the APT Macau Championships will not be associated with cryptocurrency in any way and I apologize for any confusion in the market.”
